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PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) ― The way his players are talking, the biggest impact Mike Tomlin is having on the Pittsburgh Steelers is by not trying to make a big splash as an NFL head coach.

He didn't demand a new coaching staff or a lot of new players or make major schematic changes, as new coaches often do to put their own imprint on their new team. He's giving several of former coach Bill Cowher's top assistants, Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians, considerable leverage in the game-to-game planning.

Maybe that's why only the third Steelers coaching change in 38 years is going so smoothly. The Steelers got a 98-yard kickoff return from Allen Rossum and another 100-yard game from Willie Parker in a 36-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The Steelers, who didn't get their third victory a year ago until their ninth game, are 3-0 for the first time since 1992. Not coincidentally, that was Cowher's first season on the job.

"We've got a lot of the same guys, so who's to say if Bill was here that we wouldn't be 3-0?" All-Pro guard Alan Faneca said. "That's a what-if game you can't play. But Mike and his staff have come in and done a good job and gotten us to 3-0."

Or, as Tomlin said, "It's great to be 3-0."

Tomlin has emphasized the basics, not the flash and dash—and, so far, that philosophy has been reflected in his team.

"This (team) steps in stadiums on Sunday to compete, to win and we don't worry about style points," Tomlin said. "I think we've been talking quite a bit about that: We can't worry about style points."

They're getting plenty of points, holding a 96-27 scoring edge, with both touchdowns against them coming when games were essentially decided.

Parker's 133-yard game was his fourth consecutive 100-yard game since last season. And the Steelers still haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher since late in the 2005 season, limiting Frank Gore -- the NFL's No. 3 rusher a year ago—to 39 yards on 14 carries.

Offense, defense, special teams. Sounds like a winner.

"We play hard, we play fast and we play together," said Tomlin, the only NFL rookie head coach who's unbeaten.

One of Tomlin's most visible changes from the Cowher era was stepping up the practice time spent on special teams. That emphasis was rewarded when Rossum, a player added in a trade with Atlanta this month that was pushed by Tomlin, returned a kickoff 98 yards to put the Steelers up 7-3 with less than six minutes gone.

"It was a big return, I think we needed it and it sparked our offense," Rossum said.

The defense, too. The Steelers never let Gore break off any long runs to keep drives going. That forced Alex Smith to try to beat them with his throwing—and Smith hadn't thrown a TD pass all season until finding Taylor Jacobs on a meaningless 21-yard scoring play with Pittsburgh up 30-9.

The 49ers were denied their first 3-0 start since 1998. "Our offense, we've got to play better," Gore said. "I feel like the defense is doing their job, but the offense is not making any plays. We ain't helping ourselves. I feel that if our offense would have capitalized more, we would have had a better chance to win the game."

Gore admittedly is frustrated at not having a 100-yard game. After running for 1,695 yards and nine 100-yard games a year ago, Gore has been held to 175 yards in three games, with a high of 81 yards.

"Every week I know they will come out to stop me, but I just have to give that extra effort. I tried, but they played good defense," Gore said. "We just got to get better as an offense right now. We're struggling."

Whatever chance the 49ers had of making it a game may have ended when they successfully challenged a call that Vernon Davis fumbled on a tumbling catch inside the Steelers 10 in the third quarter, only to lose a potentially important completion.

Referee Gerald Austin overturned the fumble, only to rule Davis didn't have possession before the ball came loose and called it an incompletion.

Instead of being in position for a touchdown, the 49ers—who have only four touchdowns in three games—settled for one of Joe Nedney's three field goals. Jeff Reed also kicked three for Pittsburgh.

49ers coach Mike Nolan was visibly distressed by the call. "He (Austin) said it had to be clear that two feet are down,"
Nolan said. "I offered him my sunglasses, because the description ... well, that's what he said."

Smith (17-of-35, 209 yards, one interception) wondered if the game would have changed if San Francisco had gone on to score a touchdown, cutting the Steelers' lead to 17-13. "That was huge," he said.

Davis, who complained to Nolan last week about not getting the ball enough, made four catches for 56 yards before leaving with a sprained right knee. He was to be re-examined when the team returned to San Francisco.

Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward bruised a bone in his leg, but no prognosis was given for his injury. However, there were signs he might miss some playing time.

Notes:@ San Francisco is 2-1, yet has been outscored 70-53. ... The 49ers lost in Pittsburgh for the first time in three games since Sept. 13, 1987, though it was only their third game since then. ... Pittsburgh has won 12 of its last 13 against the NFC. ... The 49ers' three-game road winning streak ended. ... Smith came into the game averaging a league-low 5.25 yards per attempt, and increased that only to 5.6. ... San Francisco went 5-of-15 on third downs and is 11-of-40 for the season.

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